Arsenal secured a late win over Leicester City in the Premier League to go level on points with Manchester City.
After the drama that unfolded on the road, Arsenal returned to the Emirates in the Premier League to face newly-promoted Leicester City.
While the game was poised to be simpler than the previous clashes against Tottenham and Manchester City, Mikel Arteta’s side failed to steer away from the drama once more.
In the second half, Leicester found a way back into the game through two goals from James Justin, putting the pressure on the hosts to dig deep to emerge with three points.
A late Wilfred Ndidi own goal did just that, with Kai Havertz then adding a fourth in the 99th minute to see Arsenal go just one point off the top spot.
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Key Arsenal concern highlighted during win over Leicester City
While Arsenal thoroughly deserved to win the game after dominating for 90 minutes, it’s difficult to ignore that Leicester were able to find a way back into the fixture.
As the hosts headed into the interval 2-0 up, there was little to suggest that the Foxes would be able to come back given the level Arteta’s side were operating at.
Putting Arsenal’s dominance aside, ESPN pundits Craig Burley and Frank Lebouef expressed their concern over the way the Gunners conceded the two goals.
“It’s a concern that they let them get back into it because quite a few of the games from Arsenal for me have been a bit like this,” Burley opened with.
“They’ve been expected to go on and finish them off and they’ve allowed teams to have a sniff.”
The former Chelsea midfielder’s opinion was shared by World Cup winner Frank Lebouef, who admitted he was left ‘really concerned’ by how Arteta’s side conducted themselves.
“I’m concerned because you have to finish the job. You always know that even if it’s a one way traffic game where you know you are very much superior, you have to finish the game.
“2-0 is never enough and you really have to score that third one. They didn’t do that, it’s natural that you relax, that happens to any team but to get that sloppy, I was really concerned.”
Mikel Arteta must address Arsenal conceding
The topic of defensive frailty has not been discussed for some time at Arsenal, with the Gunners maintaining the best defensive record in the Premier League last term.
Arteta watched his side concede only 29 goals in the entirety of the 2023/24 league campaign, with the back line remaining tough to break down this season.
- READ MORE: Why Mikel Arteta was absolutely raging on the touchline in 56th minute of Arsenal vs Leicester
That being said, Lebouef’s opinion carries some weight, with Leicester’s ability to find a way back into the game similar to the narratives of the recent duels with Brighton and Man City.
Of course, on both occasions Arsenal were defending a lead with only 10 men however, the fact remains that both teams were gifted a point when Arteta’s side were at an advantage on the scoreline.
Leicester’s goals were poor ones to concede, and ones that the boss must address when studying the result if Arsenal want to be crowned champions in May.
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